Help Available Amid Tough Financial Times

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Help Available Amid Tough Financial Times

Working with Taupō locals who are struggling to get on top of their finances is like peeling back layers of an onion, says the Family and Financial Solutions Trust.   “When we see people it’s not unusual for them to only give you...

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Solar Energy Powers School Camp Forward

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Solar Energy Powers School Camp Forward

Ngamuwahine Outdoor Education Lodge, in the lower Kaimais, is where lifelong memories are made for 3000 school children every year. Eleven schools currently send their students there on school camp to enjoy outdoor adventures such as kayaking,...

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Improving Outcomes One Possum At A Time

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Improving Outcomes One Possum At A Time

Korehāhā Whakahau is more than a typical pest eradication programme – it is system change in action. The aspirational project aims to eliminate possums from 4700ha within Ngāti Awa’s rohe – including Whakatāne, Ōhope and Ōhiwa...

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Restoring The Mauri Of Te Arawa’s Lakes

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Restoring The Mauri Of Te Arawa’s Lakes

On the surface, Rotorua’s lakes glisten like jewels in the landscape – but in reality they are plagued by pests and poor water quality from years of pollution and irresponsible land use. No-one cares more deeply about restoring the mauri...

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1 Million Grant Announced To Help Revive Sick BOP Estuary

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$1 Million Grant Announced To Help Revive Sick BOP Estuary

BayTrust is committing $1 million worth of funding over the next three years to the effort to restore the badly degraded Te Waihī estuary that was once a main food bowl for the coastal Bay of Plenty.   Unimpeded farm development and...

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Volunteering BOP

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Why Volunteering Is New Zealand’s Beating Heart

Why Volunteering Is New Zealand’s Beating Heart Volunteering your time to help others is part of our Kiwi culture – from coaching kids’ sports teams, to running the local marae or contributing to your church or school. However the...

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Door Finally Opens To Home Ownership For Tauranga Family

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Door Finally Opens To Home Ownership For Tauranga Family

With steady jobs, a combined income of almost $200,000 and a sizeable deposit saved, buying a home sounds like a straight-forward process for Kim and Corey Samuel, and Kim’s parents, Angie and Michael Ryan. But their experience has been far from...

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Answering Coastguards Call For Help

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Answering Coastguard’s Call For Help

Answering Coastguard’s Call For Help When you’re out on the water and something goes wrong – your motor breaks down, you run out of fuel, or someone has fallen overboard – there’s one organisation who you rely on to...

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Digital Learning Ready To Go Viral In Murupara

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Digital Learning Ready To Go Viral In Murupara 

Digital Learning Ready To Go Viral In Murupara    There’s no doubt the internet has changed our education system and the way Kiwi kids learn – the trouble is, not everyone has access to it. That’s why Te Aka Toitū...

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Forest Rescue Now A Vital Service For Mountain Bike Riders

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Forest Rescue Now A Vital Service For Mountain Bike Riders

Forest Rescue Now A Vital Service For Mountain Bike Riders   As Charlotte Hamilton lay in excruciating pain on the floor of Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest, she thought she might be paralysed. “Initially I couldn’t feel...

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Helping Turangi To Stand Proud

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Helping Turangi To Stand Proud

Supporting each other is a recipe for success in any small town – that’s why Safe Turangi is working hard alongside others to ensure Turangi is a proud community where everyone feels safe and connected. Safe Turangi is a small organisation...

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Re-Establishing Wetlands & Turangawaewae

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Re-Establishing Wetlands & Turangawaewae

Kathleen Morrison was 12 years-old when 25ha of her family’s ancestral land was signed over to the Crown to manage – and she was aged 60 when her whanau finally got ownership rights back through the Māori Land Court.  Now she...

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Supporting An Organisation That Supports Taupo

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Supporting An Organisation That Supports Taupo

Supporting An Organisation That Supports Taupo Behind the scenes of every small town in New Zealand, there’s an army of volunteers and workers who keep the wheels turning. In Taupo there are over 80 different organisations dedicated to...

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Katikati Taiao Positive Pathways

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Guiding Katikati Youth Onto A Positive Path

The transition from high school to the real world can be daunting for young people, especially if they don’t have a clear tertiary education or employment pathway to follow. An estimated 200 or more rangatahi living between Waihi Beach and Te...

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Restoring, Regenerating & Rebuilding Waiariki Waterways

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Restoring, Regenerating & Rebuilding Waiariki’s Waterways

Stream banks, roadside verges and rail corridors around Rotorua are brimming with gorse and blackberry – and Tipu Waiariki Charitable Trust sees a major environmental opportunity to transform our region’s landscape. By removing weeds and...

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Volunteer Matching Service To Launch In Taupo

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Volunteer Matching Service To Launch In Taupo

Volunteering for a good cause is something many Kiwis love to do – but finding the right organisation to help in the right way, isn’t always straight-forward. A new project called Volunteer Taupo is being developed in the central North...

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Re-connecting & Re-engaging Isolated Youth

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Re-connecting & Re-engaging Isolated Youth

Te Ika Whenua Hauora is used to helping people overcome the impact of isolation.  For almost 40 years they’ve helped remote communities such as Minginui, Ruatahuna, Waiohau and Kaiangaroa from their base in Murupara to combat everything...

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Reducing Our Horror Drowning Rate

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Reducing Our Horror Drowning Rate

Reducing Our Horror Drowning Rate   Our beautiful waterways and coastline are integral to our way of life – but drowning remains the leading cause of recreational death in New Zealand and our third highest cause of accidental...

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Helping Taupos Rural Residents Look Out For One Another

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Helping Taupo’s Rural Residents Look Out For One Another

Helping Taupo’s Rural Residents Look Out For One Another Joy Johnson knows there are many reasons why rural residents don’t bother to call police when a burglary occurs or stock goes missing. “They think it’ll take police...

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EDGE Workshops In Demand To Help Struggling Boys

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EDGE Workshops In Demand To Help Struggling Boys

When you don’t do well at school, and letters and numbers don’t come naturally, students can shut down very quickly. Many find traditional classrooms difficult and are kinesthetic learners – they learn best by doing, rather than...

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BayTrust commits to the Sport BOP

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BayTrust commits to the Sport BOP Coachforce programme for a further 3 years >

BayTrust has just approved 44 grants to different community groups across the region in their December funding round worth a total of $2.4m. Sport Bay of Plenty is the largest recipient and will now get $552,500 annually for the next three years (an...

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Small Town finding ways forward for their youth

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Small Town finding ways forward for their youth

A New Way Forward For Turangi’s Youth Small town New Zealand is a wonderful place to grow up but having ‘nothing to do’ outside of school hours is a problem that generations of youngsters have faced. It seems Turangi may have...

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Guardians Of The Lake

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Guardians Of The Lake

Surrounded by lush native bush and shimmering every hue of blue and green imaginable, Rotorua’s lakes are the heart and soul of the Te Arawa region. For centuries they have drawn people to the Bay of Plenty to swim, fish, boat, waterski, kayak,...

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Tackling the Digital Divide in the Eastern Bay of Plenty

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Tackling the ‘Digital Divide’ in the Eastern Bay of Plenty

Today’s youngsters are often called ‘digital natives’ – in other words, they’ve grown up with the internet and instinctively know how to use technology. But that’s not the case in every community. A...

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Opotiki's Long Awaited Community Hub Gets Green Light

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Opotiki’s Long-Awaited ‘Community Hub’ Gets Green Light

Opotiki’s Long-Awaited ‘Community Hub’ Gets Green Light   A library is a key focal point for every New Zealand town but Ōpōtiki residents are in desperate need of a new one. For the past 10 years the old facility has...

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New Wharekai Set To Strengthen Koutu Community 

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New Wharekai Set To Strengthen Koutu Community 

New Wharekai Set To Strengthen Koutu Community    An impressive new wharekai will soon open its doors at Te Koutu Marae in Rotorua and promises to be so much more than just a building. “It will become the hub of our community...

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Surfs Up In the BOP This Summer

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Surf’s Up In the BOP This Summer

With sizzling temperatures forecast and regional lockdowns finally starting to ease, there’s one place Kiwis will be heading en masse this summer – to the beach. Keeping everyone safe once they get there is a job that falls to hundreds of...

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Te Puke Teens Push Themselves To The Edge

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Te Puke Teens Push Themselves To The Edge

Te Puke Teens Push Themselves To The Edge Rugby legend Jonah Lomu once said to get through the toughest periods of his life, he had to look within. “I don’t give up. Never have, never will.” That quote is now inscribed on...

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Murupara's digital hub

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Transforming Young lives through tech

We live in a digital world but not everyone can afford an internet connection at home – and that’s why Murupara’s new Digital Hub is in such hot demand. The doors officially opened in mid-September and Digital Hub Manager Ima Nuku is...

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Putting Rotorua Locals In the Driver's Seat

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Putting Rotorua Locals In The Driver’s Seat

No matter our background, physical or mental capabilities, we all want to feel as though we ‘belong’ within our community. Rotorua’s Te Aratu Trust has been helping people with mental and intellectual disabilities do exactly that for...

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Western Heights

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Western Heights Champions Help Shape Community’s Future

Western Heights Champions Help Shape Community’s Future                 Pictured: Owen Roberts and Veena Kameta   Veena Kameta knows the Rotorua suburb of Western...

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Providing A Collective Voice For Conservation

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Providing A Collective Voice For Conservation

Providing A Collective Voice For Conservation   New Zealanders are passionate about community conservation but we are losing our biodiversity at an alarming rate – along with volunteer interest. “A lot of conservation volunteers...

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Recreate

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Helping Youth with Disabilities

Helping Youth With An Intellectual Disability To Embrace Life Three years ago Recreate NZ brought its innovative programmes to the Bay of Plenty and now 80 or so local youth who experience a mild to moderate intellectual disabilities have a new lease...

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Future Leaders Eastern Bay

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Inspiring our Future Leaders in the Eastern Bay

Some of New Zealand’s most inspirational leaders hail from small, provincial towns, and now a youth-lead initiative called Future Leaders is helping light a spark within rangatahi across the Eastern Bay of Plenty and beyond. Since the programme...

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Prestigious Art Competition Remains In Whakatane

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Prestigious Art Competition Remains At Home In Whakatāne

Winning the renowned Molly Morpeth Canaday Award is something hundreds of New Zealand artists strive to achieve each year. Named after a Wellington-born expressionist painter who passed away in the early 1970s, the award celebrates artistic...

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School Children Ready To Embrace Te Ao Maori

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School Children Ready To Embrace Te Ao Māori

Imagine a world where we understand our local history from all perspectives, have empathy with iwi, can practice tikanga in our daily lives and pronounce Māori words correctly.   Soon an entire generation of school children will have a more...

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Life Returns To Aongatete Forest

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Life Returns To Aongatete Forest

Life Returns To Aongatete Forest New Zealand’s native forests should be dark, with green shoots and seeds scattered across the forest floor and sunlight struggling to break through the dense canopy. They should also be extremely noisy; the...

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The Spirit of Excellence Education Trust to boost literacy and numeracy

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The Spirit of Excellence Education Trust to boost literacy and numeracy

'Raising the Standard' of Education for Rotorua Kids A child’s ability to read and write has a profound impact on their future success and wellbeing – but not everyone is getting the help they need to master these basic...

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Popular School Camp Embarks On New Adventure

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Popular School Camp Embarks On New Adventure

Popular School Camp Embarks On New Adventure   Going on school camp creates special memories for every Kiwi child and the Ngamuwahine Outdoor Education Lodge has provided that opportunity for almost 40 years. Camp Director and Head...

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New Ambulance Base

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New Ambulance Base - Waihau Bay

New Ambulance Base Now Within Reach For East Coast Community When the nearest hospital is two hours away, it’s essential a St John ambulance and trained volunteers are close at hand when there’s a medical emergency. That’s why the...

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Helping People Take Control of their chronic illness

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Helping People Take Control of their chronic illness

Imagine not being able to walk from your bedroom to the living room without feeling exhausted and needing to lie down again. For tens of thousands of New Zealanders, that’s the reality of life with chronic fatigue and pain. Such illnesses can...

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Whakatane Heart Is Beating Strong

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Whakatane’s Heart Is Beating Strong

You can measure a community’s spirit by the size of its heart – and in Whakatane, that heart is sizeable indeed. The Have a Heart charitable trust was founded in 2013. Their purpose is to grow great families at the heart of Eastern Bay of...

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More Night Owls Appearing All Over Tauranga

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More Night Owls Appearing All Over Tauranga

 

Kimberley Cleland loves seeing the joy on people’s faces when they go to a Night Owl cinema event for the first time.  “There’s something a little bit magic about being outside, huddled under the stars together, enjoying a...

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New Whanau Mentoring Programme Set To Launch In Tauranga

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New Whanau Mentoring Programme Set To Launch In Tauranga

New Whanau Mentoring Programme Set To Launch In Tauranga Child poverty is a big issue in New Zealand but it’s impossible to help our vulnerable youngsters by focussing on their needs alone. That’s why the Salvation Army is launching a...

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Social Link: Helping Those Who Help Others

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Social Link: Helping Those Who Help Others

Social Link: Helping Those Who Help Others Social agencies generally work with the most vulnerable people in our communities – but these organisations often need plenty of support themselves. The Social Sector Innovation Trust (known as...

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Taupo Residents Discover New Passion For Te Reo

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Taupō Residents Discover New Passion For Te Reo

Taupō Residents Discover New Passion For Te Reo   Māori language and culture are an integral part of New Zealand’s identity – yet many of us feel disconnected because of a lack of knowledge.   It was that feeling that...

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Caring for Vulnerable Children

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Caring for Vulnerable Children

Supporting Those Who Care For Our Vulnerable Children   Over 24,000 New Zealand children are currently living in foster or whānau care after being removed from their biological parents due to abuse or neglect. Thankfully, thousands of...

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Values-based education for more Rotorua students

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More Rotorua Students Set To Receive Values-Based Education

In an ideal world, our tamariki would all learn the values of integrity (pono), resilience (taikaha), positive relationships (whanaungatanga) and respect (manaakitanga) at a young age. But in some cases, children are missing out on these life lessons...

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Making Sure The Wheels On The Bike Go Round & Round

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Making Sure The Wheels On The Bike Go Round & Round

Making Sure The Wheels On The Bike Go Round & Round   Learning to ride a bike is a big childhood milestone but a surprising number of kids are missing out on developing this vital skill. “There’s been a whole generation who...

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Getting Taupo's workforce ready to face the future

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Getting Taupō’s Workforce Ready To Face The Future

Growing a provincial town’s economy in the wake of COVID-19 is no easy task but Enterprise Great Lake Taupō is certainly up for the challenge. The economic development agency was first established in 2007 and will this year embark on an...

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Supporting Grandparents To Go Back To Square One

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Supporting Grandparents To Go Back To Square One

Supporting Grandparents To Go Back To Square One   Most grandparents look forward to spending quality time with their grandkids, spoiling them and celebrating the special milestones in life. But a growing number of grandparents in our...

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Helping older New Zealanders in Taupo

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Helping older New Zealanders in Taupo

Helping Older New Zealanders Age Well In Taupo Taupo has always been a popular place to retire and with our ageing population, the need to look after older people in the region is more important than ever. Age Concern Taupo has this group’s...

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Switching Focus From Sea To Land

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Switching Focus From Sea To Land

When a former cargo vessel was donated by Stoney Creek Shipping to YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Aotearoa in Tauranga in early 2019, the vision was clear – raise some funds, transform it into a medical aid ship, and set sail for remote Pacific Island...

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Rotorua Builds New Bridges To Employment

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Rotorua Builds New Bridges To Employment

National unemployment figures might look low on paper but Rotorua employers say there’s not a shortage of people to employ – rather a shortage of people who are ready for employment. According to latest figures from the Ministry of Social...

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Renewed Energy and Enthusiasm

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Renewed Energy and Enthusiasm For Whakatane Bluelight >

Keeping kids busy goes a long way to keeping them out of trouble – and the Bluelight programme run by Whakatane Police is certainly doing just that. The region’s new Bluelight co-ordinator, Richard Hamer, took up the role 18 months ago and...

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Community Spirit Shines Bright In Katikati

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Community Spirit Shines Bright In Katikati

Sometimes it’s the littlest things that make a community special – like the free ‘help-yourself-to-produce’ stall; the bike repair stand; the yoga class; the school holiday ‘gloop’ session; or the afternoon board games...

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Growing Food, Knowledge & Community Spirit in Taupo

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Growing Food, Knowledge & Community Spirit in Taupō

Our desire to look after our planet, live self-sufficient lifestyles, and reduce our grocery bills is benefitting Taupō Community Gardens as growing your own fruit and vegetables is becoming more popular. “Financially times are tough for a lot...

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Legal Problems Are A Piece Of Cake

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Legal Problems Are A Piece Of Cake At Baywide Community Law

Baywide Community Law looks like any other professional law firm – except clients often ‘pay’ for legal services with donations of home-baked cakes or potted plants instead of money. The law centre caters for people who cannot afford...

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Kai Pai Rotorua

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Kai Pai Rotorua

Nourishing Lunches Fill Young Bellies In Rotorua   It’s hard to concentrate on schoolwork when you have an empty stomach. Sadly that’s a reality for hundreds of Rotorua children every day. But a new low-cost school lunch order...

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